News

Regional News Briefs

Three people killed in Glendale traffic crash

Three people were killed Friday evening in a traffic crash in Glendale, according to North Shore Fire Rescue.

The crash was reported at 7:44 p.m. in the 2400 block of W. Silver Spring Drive, according to a news release.

A witness told WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee that the car was heading east on Silver Spring Drive at a high rate of speed when another vehicle turned in front of it.

The driver of the car didn't have enough time to react and lost control, running into a tree and a utility pole. The vehicle flipped several times, according to the witness.

Two injured in separate Milwaukee shootings

Milwaukee police are investigating two separate shooting incidents that left two injured Thursday, according to a news release from the department Friday.

A 15-year-old Milwaukee boy sustained a graze wound from a shooting about 5 p.m. in the 5700 block of N. 94th St., police said.

The incident occurred during an argument and the boy may have known the shooter, according to the release.

The boy was taken to the hospital for treatment, and police continue to investigate.

In another incident, a 28-year-old Milwaukee woman sustained a gunshot wound police say was not life-threatening about 10:30 p.m. in the 3000 block of N. 46th St.

The shooting occurred during a robbery attempt, and the shooter fled the scene and did not obtain anything from the woman.

Officials investigate Milwaukee house fire

Milwaukee fire officials are investigating what they are calling a suspicious fire that broke out Friday morning.

Crews reported to the one-alarm fire about 5:30 a.m. at a wood-frame house in the 2000 block of W. Hayes Ave., according to Deputy Fire Chief Aaron Lipski.

Nobody was injured in the fire, and whether anyone was displaced or lived in the house remains unclear, Lipski said.

Sheriff stops man from running car off road

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. intervened in an incident in which a driver attempted to run his ex-girlfriend's car off a street on Milwaukee's northwest side, his office said Friday.

Clarke first saw the two vehicles shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday at N. 51st St. and W. Good Hope Road, according to a sheriff's office news release.

According to the release, the sheriff began following the vehicles, including one that was unregistered and driven by a 30-year-old man who was dodging in and out of traffic.

Clarke pulled the car over at N. 76th St. and W. Good Hope Road and called Milwaukee police for backup. The driver, who did not have a license, admitted he was trying to run the woman's car off the road and said he wouldn't have tried if he knew the sheriff was there, according to the release.

The 35-year-old woman, who called 911, said the man had been following her and her two children, ages 12 and 15, for 30 minutes, almost striking her car and attempting to cut her off.

Milwaukee police arrested the man on a disorderly conduct/domestic violence charge. He also had an outstanding municipal warrant for operating after suspension.

Trevor woman killed in Kenosha County crash

A 23-year-old Trevor woman was killed Friday in a three-vehicle crash in Kenosha County, the sheriff's office said.

The crash was reported shortly after 11 a.m. on State Highway 45/200th Ave. and County Highway WG/State Line Road in the Village of Bristol, according to a news release from the Kenosha County sheriff's office.

According to the release, a 2014 Ford Focus driven by an 81-year-old Zion, Ill., man was westbound on WG when he ran a red light and struck a flatbed semi-tractor that was northbound on Highway 45. The collision pushed the semi into the southbound lane, where it was struck by a southbound 2007 GMC Sierra Truck, pulling an empty horse trailer, driven by the Trevor woman.

The Zion man was seriously injured and flown by helicopter to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.

The semi driver, a 44-year-old man from Dodge Center, Minn., was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, according to the release.

Milwaukee men arrested in pot bust

Two Milwaukee men were arrested in Racine County after sheriff's deputies found about two and a half pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop, the sheriff's office said Friday.

The driver of the vehicle was pulled over for lane deviation and improper display of registration shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday on northbound I-94 in the Town Raymond, according to a news release.

According to the release, deputies searched the vehicle after detecting the strong odor of fresh marijuana and arrested the men, ages 24 and 25, for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, according to the release.

Investigators believe the marijuana was being transported from Chicago to Milwaukee, the sheriff's office said.

Drunken driving deaths, injuries on the decline

Wisconsin transportation officials say drunken driving deaths and injuries in the state have dramatically declined over the last decade.

The Department of Transportation released data Friday showing the number of fatalities in alcohol-related crashes in Wisconsin dropped 47%, from 348 in 2003 to 185 in 2013. The number of injuries fell 59%, from 6,445 in 2003 to 2,660 last year.

The overall number of alcohol-related crashes dropped 45%, from 9,007 in 2003 to 4,945 in 2013.

DOT officials released the statistics as law enforcement agencies across the state prepare to launch their annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" drunken driving crackdown. The effort is set to begin Aug. 15 and run through Labor Day.

Police will monitor church's pig wrestling

Wisconsin police will monitor a church's weekend pig wrestling event after thousands of people signed an online petition expressing concerns for the animals' well-being.

Capt. Mike Jobe of the Outagamie County Sheriff's Department said he doesn't expect a large protest at the event Sunday, but deputies will step in if needed. He said the long-standing event hosted by St. Patrick Parish in Stephensville is not illegal.

"We'll be monitoring the situation and assessing," Jobe said. "I'm not going to have a standing army up there to protect the pig wrestlers. We'll react to whatever presents itself."

More than 42,000 people have signed the petition calling for the cancellation of the Pig Rassle, Post-Crescent Media reported.

The petition was posted by Global Conservation Group, an animal advocacy organization in Watertown. It claims that the animals are "punched in the face, kicked, body-slammed, jumped on, yelled at and thrown into a bucket." The organization said the event qualifies as illegal animal fighting.

Among the people who have spoken out against the event is Shirley Manson, the lead singer of Garbage, a rock band that was established in Madison in the early 1990s. Manson released a statement requesting that the event be canceled permanently.

Ken Bilgrien, a deacon at St. Patrick, said the parish doesn't condone animal abuse.

The parish said the event has been cleared by the Sheriff's Department and the state attorney general.